Updates About Jobs

Recently, the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget released the latest unemployment and jobs report that shows data from the month of August. The data shows that Michigan’s unemployment rate increased by 0.1 percentage points to 5.0%. Comparatively, the national unemployment rate for August was 4.1%.

The unemployment rate increase occurred alongside a shrinking labor force, as Michigan’s employment number decreased by 25,000 while the number of unemployed people remained unchanged.Payroll jobs saw a slight reduction with employers reporting approximately 2,000 payroll jobs lost. Michigan’s labor force participation has also decreased 0.3% to 58.8%.

The manufacturing sector experienced the largest monthly employment decline, shedding approximately 2,000 jobs. The sector with the most growth was private education and health services, with employment increasing for the fourth consecutive month and adding 6,000 jobs since April 2026.

Looking at the over-the-year numbers, the biggest gain has been in government, which added 16,000 jobs, followed by private education and health services, which added 8,000 jobs. The biggest loser has been the professional and business services sector which has lost 6,000 jobs since August of last year.

The Senate Fiscal Agency (SFA) recently released the Monthly Revenue Report for June 2026. Tax collections came in at $3.4 Billion, $163 million above what was expected and 3.1% higher than last June.

The largest source of revenue was from net income taxes, totaling $1.5 billion. Despite bringing in the most revenue, collections were $25.3 million below the expected number. Not far behind in revenue were combined sales and use tax collections coming in at $1.2 billion, $73.4 million above expectations. The repealed Single Business Tax, Michigan Business Tax (MBT), and Corporate Income Tax (CIT) generated $333.0 million in net revenue. The combined collections were $109.7 million higher than the predicted number largely due to CIT collections and less MBT refunds being claimed.

General Fund (GF) collections were $112.9 million above the estimated number, and the School Aid Fund exceeded the predicted number by $39.4 million. So far the year-to-date collections for the GF sits at $384 million, and for the School Aid Fund, $112.2 million.

In other economic news, the Michigan Health and Hospital Association released their healthcare sector report for 2024. The report shows that the healthcare industry in Michigan is the largest private-sector employer, supporting more than 1 million jobs. According to the report, the healthcare industry in Michigan created $115 billion in economic value and $25.1 billion in tax revenue during the 2024 fiscal year. The full report can be found here.

Recently, the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget released data that shows that Michigan’s unemployment rate dropped to 5% in the month of June. Comparatively, the national unemployment rate for June was 4.2%. The decline occurred alongside a shrinking labor force, as fewer Michiganders were working or actively seeking employment. Although the state’s household employment measure declined during the month, employers reported a modest gain of approximately 3,000 payroll jobs. Michigan’s labor force participation also decreased .3% to 59.5% for the month of June.

The leisure and hospitality and government sectors led Michigan’s job growth in June, with each industry adding approximately 3,000 jobs. Whereas the professional and business service industry saw the biggest hit, losing 3,000 jobs.

Looking at the over-the-year numbers the biggest gain is in government with 16,000 added jobs. The biggest losers are the trade, transportation, and utilities industry which saw a loss of 8,000 jobs, and manufacturing which lost 7,000.